Preclearance for tourists: Japan introduces new and faster immigration processing strategy to handle tourism boom
Foreign visitors arriving in Japan may get to breeze through immigration soon as the country looks for new ways to amplify a tourism boom that is boosting its economy.
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The government will introduce a new preclearance system from next January, starting with tourists from Taiwan, NHK reported Friday. Visitors will be able to complete most of their immigration screening before departure to help shorten the time taken for entry procedures on arrival, according to the broadcaster.
The decision comes with record numbers of tourists already visiting the country. Around 17.8 million people visited in the first half, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. June also marked the fourth straight month with more than 3 million travelers.
The slump in the yen has turned Japan from a pricey bucket-list trip to a relatively inexpensive tourism and shopping destination. At a meeting to promote tourism on Friday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared that ¥8 trillion ($51 billion) of spending by foreign visitors is within sight in 2024.
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“It’s critical to promote the number of visitors to local regions, while preventing and keeping control of overtourism,” Kishida told a ministerial council. The prime minister called for the use of technology to ease congestion at airports, travel networks and popular destinations. He’s also seeking to boost the attractiveness of Japan’s national parks and promote sports tourism, as part of the government’s goal to reach 60 million visitors annually by 2030.
Underscoring booming inbound travel demand, ANA Holdings Inc. said it will start three European routes from Haneda this winter starting with Milan in December, Stockholm in January and Istanbul in February.
“We will continue to expand our network” All Nippon Airways President Shinichi Inoue said at a news conference Friday. In addition, ANA started daily flights to Paris and Munich in July ahead of the Paris Olympics and plans to restart its Haneda-Vienna route in August.
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Japan’s airports have been dealing with a jet-fuel shortage that has impacted foreign carriers seeking to increase flights to the country. While efforts are in place to ease the shortage by boosting production and imports, Kishida called on the council to take urgent measure to secure supplies.
The influx is providing a boost to Japan’s fragile economy. The currency hit a 38-year low against the dollar earlier this month as the gap in interest rates between Japan and the US continues to keep downward pressure on the currency. While the weakness in the yen is attracting tourists and shoppers to Japan, it is also fueling the strongest inflation cycle in decades, a factor that is dragging on domestic consumer spending.
Foreign visitors spent ¥2.14 trillion yen in the April-June quarter, according to figures released by the Japan Tourism Agency on Friday.
There has also been a growing backlash among some locals annoyed by the ever-increasing influx.
Kyoto’s local district council has banned visitors from the narrow private streets of the Gion district, while local authorities in Fujikawaguchiko erected a barrier to stop tourists from taking photos at a convenience store with Mt. Fuji in the background.
